Contextual information management in wireless communications devices and methods therefor

ABSTRACT

A wireless communications networks ( 100 ) and mobile wireless communications devices ( 120 ) that receive contextual information, which is unavailable in certain regions ( 160 ), which may not be populated with contextual information sources or due to temporary interruptions. In some modes of operation, the contextual information is provided to the wireless communications device via a contextual information discriminator, which may be located either in the network or on the wireless communications device, for example when contextual information requested is unavailable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

[0001] The present inventions relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to the management of contextual information from context aware sources in wireless communications devices and in wireless communications networks and methods therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

[0002] Communications networks are being populated increasingly with context aware information sources capable of providing contextual information and services including, for example, location-based information and services for mobile wireless communications devices. Discontinuities in the availability of context aware information, however, poses difficulties for context aware applications that rely upon contextual information, for example, context aware applications running on mobile wireless communications devices.

[0003] Regional discontinuities of contextual information may result, for example, from environments populated only partially with the contextual information sources, typical of developing network infrastructure, and from the occasional failure or interruption in the provision of contextual information.

[0004] The various aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description of the Invention with the accompanying drawings described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]FIG. 1 is an exemplary wireless communications network at least partially populated with contextual information transmitters.

[0006]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile wireless communications device.

[0007]FIG. 3 is an exemplary communications diagram for providing alternate contextual information to a wireless communications device.

[0008]FIG. 4 is an exemplary communications diagram for providing alternate contextual info FIG. 3 is an exemplary communications diagram for providing alternate contextual information to a wireless communications device.

[0009]FIG. 5 is an exemplary communications diagram for providing alternate contextual information to a wireless communications device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

[0010] In FIG. 1, an exemplary wireless communications network 100 includes a plurality of base stations 110 and other known network infrastructure, which is known generally but not illustrated, enabling mobile wireless communications devices 120 to communicate with one another within and beyond the network.

[0011] In FIG. 1, the network also includes contextual information sources, including satellite based information (150) sources and terrestrial based contextual information sources (130). These contextual information sources provide generally contextual information or form the basis for providing contextual information, which is used by mobile wireless communications devices, for example, by context aware applications and by other programs running thereon.

[0012] Exemplary terrestrial contextual information sources include, for example, information transmitters that populate buildings and other environments. These information transmitters provide contextual information, for example location based information, like altitude, building floor number, navigation information, etc. The information transmitters may also provide information based on a sensed local condition, like temperature, precipitation, traffic conditions, etc. The transmitters may be isolated or linked. More generally, the transmitters provide any contextual information, static or dynamic, based on sensed conditions or otherwise.

[0013] In some embodiments, the transmitters are radio transmitters, for example, Bluetooth transmitters that transmit contextual information directly to mobile wireless communications devices. The transmitters are not necessarily part of the communications network infrastructure, although they may be. The transmitters may thus be provided and managed by any party. Generally, the contextual information transmitters may constitute a network or networks of transmitters.

[0014] In other embodiments, the transmitters or networks of transmitters communicate textual information to the mobile wireless communications devices indirectly via the wireless communications network 100, for example by a contextual information receiver 140 that relays the contextual information to the mobile devices, as discussed more fully below. In the later example, the contextual information may be provided to network operators gratuitously or for a fee.

[0015] In some communications networks, location determining infrastructure is used to determine the location of mobile communications devices, the location of which may be used as a basis for providing contextual location-based information or services via the wireless communications network infrastructure. Exemplary location determining infrastructure includes satellites of the Global Positioning System, Glonass and other satellite constellations, which may be used primarily for communications. Generally, the satellites 150 in FIG. 1 may be those of a location based or communications constellations, either of which provides or forms the basis for providing contextual information. In other embodiments, buildings and other physical infrastructure may be equipped with beacons that transmit higher-level metadata (e.g. the building's address) which can then be translated to a geographic coordinated (e.g. by an address-to-GPS converter web service).

[0016] Location determining infrastructure also includes terrestrial based locating infrastructure, which may include elements of the wireless communications infrastructure, for example, base stations, location measurement units (LMUs), etc., which are used for determining location based on estimated observed time of arrival (E-OTD), angle of arrival (AOA), among other terrestrial locating schemes.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary mobile wireless communications device 200 comprising generally a processor 210 coupled to memory (220), for example RAM, ROM and firmware devices, among other memory devices. The applications and other processor executable programs and code are stored in the memory.

[0018] The exemplary wireless communications device also comprises a transceiver 230, although other devices do not include a transceiver. Wireless communications devices comprising a transceiver include, for example, cellular communications handsets, transceiver equipped personal digital assistants (PDAs) and laptop computers, among other devices. In devices including a transceiver, contextual information may be received by the transceiver of the wireless communications device, for example via a cellular communications network, as discussed above.

[0019] In other embodiments, the wireless communications device 200 includes a receiver 240, for example a satellite positioning system receiver or a Bluetooth or 802.11b receiver or some other contextual information receiver. The receiver 240 may be in addition to the transceiver receiver 230 discussed above, although in some embodiments the wireless communications device includes the receiver 240 without a transceiver. Exemplary wireless communications devices having only a receiver without transmitter capability include, for example, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and laptop computers, among other wireless communications devices that receive but do not transmit.

[0020] The exemplary wireless communications device 200 also comprises a display 250, user-inputs 260, for example, an alphanumeric keypad and/or other input devices, possibly a microphone, etc., which are coupled to the processor. User outputs 270, for example, a speaker, and input/output ports 280 are also coupled to the processor. Not all wireless communications devices however include all of these exemplary features.

[0021]FIG. 1 illustrates a region 160 that is devoid of contextual information transmitters or at least experiences a temporary interruption in the availability of contextual information. The region may be as large as an expansive geographical area or as small as an area within a building, for example, in an elevator carriage. Also, the region 160 is not necessarily within an area having cellular communications coverage, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0022] The lack of contextual information availability in region 160 may be for any reason, including temporary interruptions of in the service of providing contextual information, or for lack of population of the region with means for making the contextual information available.

[0023] Mobile wireless communications devices traveling through the region 160 devoid of contextual information will experience a discontinuity in the availability of contextual information, which may be used or relied upon by the device, for example, by software applications and other computer code on the device. An interruption in the availability of the contextual information during execution of the software or code or when requested by the device is generally undesirable.

[0024] According to one aspect of the invention, generally, alternate contextual information is provided to the device, for example to a context aware application running thereon, when contextual information from the source from which contextual information is required or requested by the wireless communications device is not available.

[0025] In situations where there is an interruption of contextual information, detection of the interruption may be used to initiate a search for alternate contextual data. In one embodiment, a context dispatcher entity detects the interruption of primary context information flow, and triggers the search for alternate context information source, for example by communicating the interruption or data unavailability to the discriminator. Alternatively, the discriminator may detect interruptions in the contextual information.

[0026] In one embodiment, a contextual information discriminator monitors the availability of the contextual information used or required and in some embodiments the contextual information used or requested by the wireless communications device. The contextual information discriminator is thus aware of contextual information in its environment, and is capable of providing alternative information if the information requested or used is unavailable, or based upon some condition other than unavailability.

[0027] The contextual information is preferably implemented in software. In some embodiments, the contextual information discriminator resides in memory on the wireless communications device. In other embodiments, for example those where contextual information is communicated to the wireless communications device via a communications network, the contextual information discriminator resides in on the network.

[0028] In one mode of operations, alternate contextual information is provided to a wireless communications device, or terminal, by providing contextual information from a source different than the source from which contextual information is requested. In FIG. 3, for example, a terminal 300 includes an application 310 running thereon. The terminal uses or requests contextual data from a first source 320, for example a particular type of contextual data or data from a particular location. The contextual information discriminator 330 monitors the availability of the information used or requested, either directly or via communications from the terminal as illustrated in FIG. 3. In some embodiments, the discriminator may also monitor request for data made by the application 310.

[0029] In FIG. 3, where the contextual information requested is unavailable, as communicated by the terminal 300 to the discriminator 330, the discriminator 330 requests data from an alternate source, for example from an adjacent contextual information source. The contextual information required or requested may be unavailable, for example, because the source 320 is temporarily incapacitated or because the source 320 is non-existent. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the discriminator prompts the alternate source to provide alternate contextual information to the application.

[0030] In FIG. 4, the contextual information discriminator includes a database 432 of contextual information sources, thereby providing the discriminator with means for selecting an alternate contextual data source. The database may thus be used by the discriminator 430 to select the most appropriate alternate or secondary information to provide to the application 410, for example by selecting an alternate contextual information source nearest the wireless communications device.

[0031] In some modes of operation, contextual information from two or more alternate sources is combined to form composite contextual information, which is provided to the device. The composite information may be an average of sources adjacent to a source or location from which information is unavailable, or the composite may be based upon an interpolation or an extrapolation of available contextual information.

[0032] The contextual information discriminator provides the alternate contextual information to the terminal. In some modes of operations, the alternate data may be same information provided to the application previously from the same source. This information may have been stored or buffered, either on the wireless communications device or in a network with the device communicates, and then provided to the application in response to instructions from the discriminator.

[0033] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, the contextual information discriminator 530 provides the last known contextual information to the application 510. As discussed above, the alternate last known contextual information may be stored in memory for this purpose.

[0034] More generally, contextual information from a source located off the wireless communications device is provided to the wireless communications device, for example to program code thereon, in response to requests via a contextual information discriminator. The contextual information discriminator determines generally what contextual information is best suited for the application in response to the request, for example based on the database or some other information, and then either proves the information selected or prompts the providing of the information, or otherwise indicates to the device where to obtain the information.

[0035] In architectures where the discriminator is located in the network, the network generally receives, from a wireless communications device, a request for contextual information from a contextual information source located in the wireless communications network. In response, the network provides contextual information via the contextual information discriminator located within the network to the wireless communications device.

[0036] As noted above, in some embodiments, the contextual information discriminator monitors contextual information available from sources in the wireless communications network with the contextual information discriminator. Alternatively, the contextual information discriminator may provide contextual information when prompted by the application for alternate information.

[0037] While the present inventions and what are considered presently to be the best modes thereof have been described in a manner that establishes possession thereof by the inventors and that enables those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventions, it will be understood and appreciated that there are many equivalents to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and that myriad modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventions, which are to be limited not by the exemplary embodiments but by the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a wireless communications device, comprising: requesting contextual information from a source outside the wireless communications device, the contextual information requested by a context aware application on the wireless communications device; providing alternate contextual information to the context aware application with a contextual information discriminator of the wireless communications device when contextual information from the source from which contextual information is requested is not available.
 2. The method of claim 1, monitoring contextual information requests and monitoring contextual information received with the contextual information discriminator.
 3. The method of claim 1, detecting an interruption of primary contextual information, and providing alternate contextual information in response to the interruption.
 4. The method of claim 1, providing alternate contextual information to the context aware application by providing contextual information from a source different than the source from which contextual information is requested.
 5. The method of claim 1, providing alternate contextual information to the context aware application by providing contextual information from a last known source other than the source from which contextual information is requested.
 6. The method of claim 1, providing alternate contextual information to the context aware application by providing contextual information from a source adjacent to the source from which contextual information is requested.
 7. The method of claim 1, providing alternate contextual information to the context aware application by providing composite contextual information from at least two sources of contextual information other than the source from which contextual information is requested.
 8. A method in a wireless communications device, comprising: requesting contextual information from a contextual information source, the contextual information source located off the wireless communications device, providing contextual information to the wireless communications device in response to the request via a contextual information discriminator.
 9. The method of claim 8, providing contextual information from a source other than the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 10. The method of claim 8, providing older contextual information from the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request when newer information from the source from which contextual information is requested is not available.
 11. The method of claim 8, providing contextual information from a source adjacent to the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 12. The method of claim 8, providing composite contextual information from at least two sources other than the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 13. The method of claim 8, requesting contextual information by a context aware application on the wireless communications device.
 14. The method of claim 8, providing contextual information to the wireless communications device via a contextual information discriminator located on the wireless communications device.
 15. A method in a wireless communications network, comprising: receiving a request for contextual information from a contextual information source located in the wireless communications network, the request received from a wireless communications device in the wireless communications network; providing contextual information via a contextual information discriminator located within the wireless communications network in response to the request.
 16. The method of claim 15, providing contextual information from a source other than the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 17. The method of claim 15, providing older contextual information from the source from which contextual information is requested when newer contextual information from the source from which contextual information is requested is not available.
 18. The method of claim 15, providing contextual information from a source adjacent to the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 19. The method of claim 15, providing composite contextual information from at least two sources other than the source from which contextual information is requested in response to the request.
 20. The method of claim 15, monitoring contextual information available from sources in the wireless communications network with the contextual information discriminator.
 21. The method of claim 15, monitoring contextual information requests from wireless communications devices, providing contextual information in response to requests for contextual information based upon contextual information available from sources in the wireless communications network. 